Welcome

A Message from the President

Taylor Eighmy
President
The University of Texas at San Antonio

As I begin my second semester as the sixth president of The University of Texas at San Antonio, I am immensely grateful for the enthusiastic support on the part of the entire university community in our collective journey toward new levels of excellence. The passion of the many alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students I’ve met at events around campus and throughout San Antonio has been truly inspiring, and it reaffirms for me that UTSA is indeed a special place primed to tackle the grand challenges of today’s world.

UTSA has all the ingredients to achieve new heights as a model urban-serving institution and driver of San Antonio’s knowledge economy. Our multicultural discovery enterprise can create prosperity and opportunity for all – and the College of Engineering will be integral in every aspect of helping UTSA achieve these goals.

The College of Engineering is fully dedicated to recruiting and retaining the best and brightest minds into its programs. Our engineering faculty regularly receive grants from the National Science Foundation, the Texas Department of Transportation, CPS Energy, the Department of Defense, and many other private, governmental, and corporate foundations. In 2017, the College achieved an all-time high of $13.5 million in research expenditures, up 24 percent since 2013. All of this success in our research endeavors illustrates how UTSA is leveraging its scholarly impact for the betterment of our world.

While fostering research excellence, we must also create an environment where students can flourish. Before each undergraduate student steps into their first engineering class on campus, we want them to be academically prepared to succeed. Well-established initiatives like UTSA’s Prefreshman Engineering Program are examples of how UTSA cultivates an education continuum that bridges secondary and higher education. In the months to come, we will be strengthening our partnerships with local school districts and the City of San Antonio to enhance student preparedness for college-level work. These efforts are instrumental in ensuring that students are prepared for the academic challenges they will face at UTSA.

Engineering holds a special place in my heart, not only because I have degrees in civil and environmental engineering, but also because I see the potential our engineering graduates have to make a significant impact in the San Antonio community and beyond. Over the past ten years, the College of Engineering’s undergraduate student population has increased by more than 1,000 students, and I expect we will see more growth with the addition of our Chemical Engineering major and the new Science and Engineering Building slated to open in 2020.

As we build San Antonio’s university of the future, I hope I can count on you to be a champion for the College of Engineering and for UTSA. Our vision for excellence cannot be achieved without the support, talents, and energy of so many who contribute to the university’s forward momentum. Thank you for the warm welcome to UTSA, and Go ’Runners!